


Open Up Your Eyes

by bookchomper101



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, The Author Regrets Nothing, privacy problems, the rest of the team too, the team needs to learn...but it's too fun, wally is an idiot sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 15:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3295958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookchomper101/pseuds/bookchomper101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin is feeling down. When he leaves Mount Justice, the rest of the Team follows him. Can they handle what they find out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Open Up Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, in this, KF doesn't know Robin's secret id.  
> This is a songfic. The song is Open Up Your Eyes by Daughtry.

Happy Harbour December 1, 2012 10:00 am

 

The Team watched Robin with concern. He was acting very lethargic, very different from his usual hyper-happy-troll self.

 

“Dude, you okay?” KF ruffled the younger’s hair, waiting for the usual batarang to the head. Robin was touchy about his hair.

 

But no attack came. All that Robin responded was a quiet ‘yeah’.

 

The Team didn’t try to pry any more than that. They knew that Robin was a bat at heart, and that he would always be really secretive. If he didn’t tell them right away, he wasn’t going to tell them in response to more prodding.

 

***

 

Robin waited for a moment where he wasn’t being watched. He had to get away. He had some people to meet. And he couldn’t miss it like he had last year. He didn’t care about it anymore. He couldn’t stay away, no matter what he told himself.

 

He quickly slipped out of the room, hopped onto his motorcycle and gunned the engine. He could make it to Gotham in a couple hours easy. He still had time to stop by the store.

 

He didn’t notice the bioship silently take off and follow him in camouflage mode.

 

_A single rose left to remember_

_As a single tear falls from his eye_

_Another cold day in December_

_A year from the day he said “goodbye”_

 

Robin, or rather Richard Grayson, lay down a rose in front of his parents’ graves. It was his birthday today, and he just couldn’t stay away. It didn’t matter that he had agreed to not come visit on his birthday, that he had missed last year, this was a time for family to spend together.

 

“Hey Mom, Dad. Sorry that I’m bothering you again. I know that this is supposed to be a happy time for me, you know, thirteen years old and all, but it just wouldn’t be the same without you.” He choked back a sob, why didn’t it ever get better? That’s what people said, that it would get better with time, but it never did. They all lied.

 

When he talked to his parents, it was almost as if they were still with him. He felt warm for just a moment, and it was like the sun was shining again. He would almost feel their arms wrapped around him in an enormous bear hug, their laughter echoing in his ears. He didn’t care if he was hanging onto the past, even though the councilor said that he had to let go to feel happy, these moments of bliss were worth it. These moments with his parents

 

_Seems it’s only been a moment_

_Since the angels took them from his arms_

_And he was left there_

_Holding on to their tomorrow_

_But as he laid them in the ground_

_His heart would sing without a sound_

 

Besides, how _could_ he forget, how could he let go? He had watched his parent’s die. He had watched their faces change from happiness and pride to horror and horror and fear fear fear scared terrified. He had watched their bodies hit the ground and break with a crack; it had been such a loud crack, never supposed to hear it ever. He had watched their bodies burst, spraying the ground with a fountain of blood, so much blood he hadn’t even imagined that that much could be held in the body. And then they had just laid there, so still, so silent, going cold as he screamed his head off.

 

And he still had nightmares. How could one not?

 

He had been a broken, broken child. No innocence left, he was older than he ever imagined he could ever be. He never smiled, never laughed. He was the last Grayson. He was an acrobat broken, a bird grounded. He wanted to jump, to move, to _fly_ , but he couldn’t. He wasn’t a circus boy anymore. He was just another nameless orphan hoping for adoption.

 

When Bruce had taken him in, he had given him so much. They had fixed each other, not completely he could never be complete again, but enough so that smiles weren’t forced and that laughter came easily.

 

And Robin was one of the main reasons for that.

 

_For the first time you can open your eyes_

_And see the world without your sorrow_

_Where no one knows the pain you left behind_

_And all the peace you could never find_

_Is waiting there to hold and keep you_

_Welcome to the first day of you life_

_Just open up your eyes_

 

When he was Robin, he was free. He didn’t have to worry about appearances, and the press trying to talk to him with their we-have-no-limits-at-what-is-acceptable-to-catch-on-video-or-microphone. He didn’t have to be the circus freak, the outcast in the group of old-blood, new-money rich snobs of Gotham’s elite. As Robin he could fly.

 

No one judged him as Robin. No looked at him with pity, saying sorry sorry sorry for your loss, but calling you the charity case behind your back. No one looked down on you or pitied you when you didn’t want it. You were just a hero. And everyone looked up to you because you saved lives and could tango with the big guns and get out of it unscathed.

 

This was where Dick smiled the most, where he felt the most complete…the least broken. This was where he was alive, on fire.

 

_A single lifetime lays behind him_

_As he draws his final breath_

_Just beyond the door they’ll find him_

_Taking his hand they’ll softly say_

 

The Team, watching from beyond the trees, felt completely terrible. This was not something that they were supposed to see. This was intimate and private, and entirely inappropriate for them to watch. They were guilt-ridden and they knew that they would have to tell their young teammate the truth: that they had watched him talk to his dead parents, probably on the anniversary of their death.

 

“Oh…” M’gann leaned against Connor as she cried silently. She could feel every single one of Robin’s, or rather Dick Grayson’s, emotions and it was utterly overwhelming. Never before had Robin been that open, and all that he kept inside him was just enormous.

 

“This was a bad decision,” Kaldur said the small group of superheroes, “we should not have come here. We should have respected Robin’s privacy.”

 

“We need to tell him.” Artemis crossed her arms over her chest.

 

It was true. They needed to. They didn’t want to keep the secret from Robin, and they weren’t even sure if they could. If they did, every time they would look at him, all they would see was him kneeling in front of that grave, crying. It would come out. It was just better if they got it off their chests as soon as possible.

 

They started out of the trees, but stopped when they heard Dick speaking again. “Okay, I’m going to sing now. That fine with you guys?” There was a pause, almost as if he was waiting for an answer, one that would never come. “Okay, here goes…”

 

The Team strained forward unconsciously. As much as they knew that this was a private moment, they really wanted to know what was said. As they said, curiosity killed the cat.

 

“H-happy birthday to me…Happy birthday t-to me…Happy b-birth-d-day dear R-Richard…Hap-p-py birthday t-t-to…” his voice was trembling and it dies off with his sobs and heavy breaths.

 

Wally couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Rob!” He ran super-speed over the wet grass; it had started raining while Dick had started to sing, and slipping and sliding he made it over to the small ebony. Dick looked up at him with wide eyes, tears and rain mixing together on his pale face.

 

“KF?” his voice was rough from all the crying.

 

“Yeah, this probably seems bad, and I totally understand if you’re really made and don’t ever want to speak to me or any of the Team ever again. We followed you, when you went on your motorcycle here, but if we knew this was where you were going, we would never have even dreamed of coming. We were worried about you, you see. You were acting so strange, we wanted to make sure you were alright. We’re so very sorry sorry sorry sorry-” Wally kept speeding up so much that Dick was barely able to understand him.

 

“Wally…Wally!” he shouted.

 

“Yes, Rob?” KF stopped talking, looking worried at his best friend.

 

“Shut up,” Robin muttered, and hugged his friend. Sure he was upset; he had just lost his secret identity, his freedom from the pitying gazes that everyone always gave him. But at the same time it was a relief, he didn’t have to hide anymore. He could just be himself.

The rest of the Team walked over the two boys, feeling awkward and distant. They didn’t want to intrude, and it was just awkward watching the friends make up.

 

“Oh, come on, join us!” Wally suddenly said.

 

The Team didn’t hesitate in joining in a group hug.

 

_For the first time you can open your eyes_

_And see the world without your sorrow_

_Where no one knows the pain you left behind_

_And all the peace you could never find_

_Is waiting there to hold and keep you_

_Welcome to the first day of your life_

 

When Alfred arrived at the cemetery, it was the understatement of the century to say that he was slightly surprised to see the Team sitting on a bench talking happily. It was also surprising to see Master Richard smiling and talking with them _without shades or his mask on._ The butler sighed, Master Bruce would not be very happy about this.

 

_Just open up your eyes as I lay you down tonight_

_Safe on the other side_

_No more tears to cry_

 

That night at Mount Justice, if you passed by the mountain, you would hear music blaring and much laughter and voices coming from within. You would hear the sound of wrapping paper being ripped open and candles being blown out. You would hear the sound of people singing happy birthday to a Richard Grayson, and you would hear a cackling laugh echoing.

 

_For the first time you can open your eyes_

_And see the world without your sorrow_

_Where no one knows the pain you left behind_

_And all the peace you could never find_

_Is waiting there to hold and keep you_

_Welcome to the first day of your life_

 


End file.
